Sindhoor Pangal — Research, Publications & Career in Free-Living Dog Studies

Sindhoor Pangal

Independent Researcher, Human–Dog Relationships & Free-Living Dogs · Founder & Director, BHARCS

Bengaluru, India · sindhoor@gmail.com · ORCID 0009-0005-6758-4754 · www.bharcs.com

Research Identity

Sindhoor Pangal's research is grounded in human–dog relationships in urban India, with a specific and sustained focus on free-living ("street") dogs — animals whose lives, unlike those of household pets, are not shaped by human domestic environments. Her path into this work began not as a planned career move but through direct experience with her own dogs, and through mentorship from canine ethologist Turid Rugaas and canine myotherapist Julia Robertson — alongside the street dogs of India themselves, a third, ongoing teacher.

Trained originally as an engineer, she brings an empirical, observation-first approach to a population of dogs largely outside the scope of canine research built around domestic pets in controlled settings. Over more than a decade of direct fieldwork and practice (2,000+ dogs consulted), her work has moved from hands-on behavioural consulting toward ethological and ethnographic research treating free-living dogs as active participants — not passive subjects — in the multispecies life of Indian cities.

This research is paired with sustained applied and policy work: an original conflict-resolution framework used in community education, and — since the November 2025 Supreme Court order on street-dog management — a co-authored literature review and a running programme of public-facing writing engaging the unfolding legal and public-health debate directly.

Career Timeline

• Director, BHARCS (Bangalore Hundeskole Academy of Research and Canine Studies) — Sep 2016–present, Bengaluru

• Founder and Canine Behaviour Counsellor, Bangalore Hundeskole — Oct 2013–Sep 2016

• VP of Product, Stormglass — Sep 2011–2013, Bengaluru

• Tech Consultant, Parikrma Humanity Foundation — Nov 2009–2011

• Product Manager, Yahoo — 2006–Oct 2009

• Senior Software Engineer, Yahoo — Jun 2002–Dec 2006

Co-PI (with Dr. Chaitanya Lakkimsetti, University of Texas at Austin) on a 2026 application to the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Distinguished Scholar Award.

Education

• M.A., Anthrozoology — University of Exeter, United Kingdom (Sep 2021–Aug 2023)

• Diploma, Canine Myotherapy — Galen Therapy Centre, United Kingdom (2016–2018)

• TRIDTE, Canine Behaviour — Turid Rugaas' Hagan Hundeskole, Norway (2014–2016)

• B.E., Computer Science — Visvesvaraya Technological University, India (1998–2002)

Research Agenda

Human–dog communication

Multimodal communication between humans and dogs, including gesture, posture, and embodied interaction.

Free-living dogs and canine agency

Longitudinal observational research examining how behavioural freedom enables free-living dogs to express species-specific preferences, relationships, and strategies for wellbeing.

Public multispecies caregiving

Caregiving as a multispecies social practice and its implications for coexistence, public space, and institutional responses to human–dog relationships.

Applied Frameworks

BHARCS Conflict Resolution Framework

An original, practice-informed framework for reducing human–dog conflict through behavioural and environmental regulation rather than removal of dogs — addressing food security, sleep, caregiver interaction, spatial structuring, trigger management, community behaviour, and health (sterilisation/vaccination). Designed to evolve through field input and community suggestion.

Publications

Peer-reviewed

Pangal, S. (2026). The Open Palm Prone Gesture: A Multimodal Exploration of Human–Dog Communication. Human–Animal Interactions. doi.org/10.1079/hai.2026.0031

Qualitative, video-based study proposing that the open-palm-prone gesture functions as a relational, affect-regulatory signal in human–dog interaction, distinct from directive gestures such as pointing. Draws on naturalistic observations of both free-living dogs in India and companion dogs in Europe, combined with preliminary heart-rate data.

Book

Pangal, S. (2021). Dog Knows: Learning How to Learn from Dogs. HarperCollins India.

Essays & invited pieces

• Pangal, S. (2024). Co-Becoming: The Human–Dog Kinship. Coonoor & Co.

• Pangal, S. (2017). Lives of Streeties: A Study on the Activity Budget of Free-Ranging Dogs. IAABC Foundation Journal.

• Pangal, S. (2026). Should Caregiving of Street Dogs Be Encouraged? Citizen Matters.

• Pangal, S. (2020). Changing Behavior of India's Street Dogs During Lockdown. Psychology Today.

Policy Interventions & Co-Authored Reports (2025–2026)

Direct engagement with the November 2025 Supreme Court order on street-dog management:

• Co-author, Literature Review: The Scientific, Legal, and Ethical Failures of Street Dog Relocation (Nov 2025) — with Dr. Anindita Bhadra, Dr. Balaji Chandrashekar, Dr. Chinny Krishna, Dr. Asher Jesodoss, Sowjanya Vijayanagar, and Annelieke Laninga

• Co-organiser, open letter with 2,000+ citizens and experts on the risks of India's mega dog-shelter push

• "By Standing Up for Stray Animals, India Can Show the World a Better Way" — The Indian Express (Jan 2026)

• "Mass Dog Shelters Are a Public Health Risk. Science Over Optics Must Be the Way to Go" — The Indian Express (Jan 2026)

• "Don't Go By Bad Logic, Cooked-Up Data" — Times of India Plus (Jan 2026)

• "Barking Up the Wrong Tree" — The Economic Times (Jan 2026)

• "Relocation Will Aggravate Human-Dog Conflict" — quoted, Times of India (Jan 2026)

• "Animal Welfare Experts Say ABC Rules Only Legal Way to Control Stray Dogs, Rabies" — quoted, The New Indian Express (Jan 2026)

Ethnographic Case Studies — Lives of Streeties / Lives of Farmies

A formal, named BHARCS research and awareness project, originating from Sindhoor's 2016 activity-budget study. Its longitudinal strand profiles a named cohort of free-living dogs — Cheeru, Chaita, Dude, Iti, Yaya, Elvis, Rita, and Biscuit — tracing individual behaviour and relationships over time.

• Yaya: The Equanimous Dog and Animal Minds (2026)

• Chaita, The Elder (2024; French version 2023)

• Dude's Journey with Fear and What It Taught Me (2024)

• Madonna's Anger (2023)

• Giving Dogs Space to Disagree Gracefully (2023)

• Chaita and Her Avatars (2022)

• Meet the Farmies — series opener (2022)

• How Dogs Learn to Cope (2020)

• Seeking Consent of a Dog (2020)

• Streeties Are Not Feral Dogs (2019)

• Nuances of Social Interaction in Free-Ranging Dogs (2018)

Public Writing — The BHARCS Blog

• A Rebuttal to "Feral Dogs on the Roof of the World": Evidence-Based Challenges to Media Sensationalism and Policy Implications — response to The New York Times (2026)

• Free-Living Dogs of India: Essential Ecological Bio-Buffers Between Humans and Wildlife (2026)

• Do Dogs Bite Because They Smell Fear? (2026)

• You Cannot Read a Dog's Mind — But You Can Prevent Dog Bites (2026)

• Why Citizen-Care of Free-Living Dogs Is a Public-Health Necessity (2026)

• The Dangerous Illusion of the 'Quick Fix': Why Mass Dog Relocation Is an Ecological and Ethical Disaster for India (2025)

• Four Weeks In, the Quick Fix of Relocation Is Failing India's Public Health and Its Professionals (2025)

Teaching & Courses — BHARCS

Canine Communication

Free, 2 hours, self-paced. Foundational workshop on calming signals, canine vocalisation, and reading dog communication.

Canine Essential 101

20 hours, foundation workshop. Flagship workshop on behavioural root causes, boundary-setting, socialisation, and stress-free leash handling; offered in separate pet-parent and professional tracks.

BACBED — BHARCS Applied Canine Biosociopsychology and Ethology Diploma

UK Level 4, accredited by Laser Learning Awards. Flagship diploma covering communication, ethology, terminology, research literacy, and case-study work.

BACBECC — Advanced Practitioner Course

Approx. 500 hours, self-paced, up to 30 months. Professional certification pathway built on observation, real-world consultation, and personalised mentorship.

LOSW — Lives of Streeties Workshop

Critical Studies in Canine Ethology, Policy, and Human-Animal Relationships. An interdisciplinary, critical-theory-oriented seminar examining the discourse and politics of knowledge around "street dogs," challenging dominance/pack-theory orthodoxy, and applying an intersectional lens connecting species, caste, class, and colonialism.

Presentations & Invited Talks (2017–2026)

• 2017 — PDTE Annual General Meeting, United Kingdom, 23–25 Sep 2017

• 2018 — Canine Conversations, The Lalit Ashok, Bangalore

• 2019 — Creative Mornings, Bangalore — "Using My Anxiety to Understand Dogs"

• 2019 — TEDxNapierBridgeWomen, Chennai — "The Fascinating Dialogue That Animals Want to Have With Us"

• 2020 — PDTE Online Summit — Keynote speaker, alongside Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Marc Bekoff

• 2021 — GITAM School of Gandhian Studies, India — "Who Are Streeties and Why Should We Care About Them?"

• 2022 — Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP), University of Exeter/EASE — "Has citizen-care of free-living dogs been explored as a means for rabies eradication in India?"

• 2022 — The HeartDog International Wellbeing Summit, streamed live 24 Dec 2022

• 2023 — Aggression in Dogs Conference, Chicago, USA (hosted by Michael Shikashio)

• 2023 — Control the Meerkat Conference — "Street Dogs, Ethics and Trauma"

• 2023 — DogX Conference (PACT), University of Winchester, UK, 8 Oct 2023 — "Understanding and Appreciating Free-Ranging Street Dogs" (via Zoom)

• 2024 — ABK Conference (Animal Behaviour Kent), United Kingdom

• 2024 — Dog People Evolution (DPE) Conference

• 2025 — Dog Behavior Conference, Victoria Stilwell Academy

• 2025 — Emotional Wellbeing in Animals Conference, 15–16 March 2025, hosted by Andrew Hale (Dog Centred Care)

• 2026 — EASE Anthrozoology Postgraduate Conference, University of Exeter — "How international discourse on the symbiotic value of free-living dogs is shaping proceedings in the Indian Supreme Court"

• 2026 — Animal Law Centre, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad — Orientation Programme on Community Dog Management Policy

• 2026 — Dog Behavior Conference, Victoria Stilwell Academy

International Workshops

Delivered in the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Chile, Poland, and South America, including for Grisha Stewart Academy, Dog Centred Care, Brain and Behaviour Academy, and Doggo (NL).

• 2020 — BHARCS interactive workshop, PDTE Summit

• 2022 — Going Beyond Ethograms of Street Dogs, Grisha Stewart Academy

• 2023 — What Is Love? Understanding Love Through the Eyes of a Dog, Brain & Behaviour Academy

Interviews & Podcasts (selected, 2020–2026)

• Dog Talk® with Tracie Hotchner (NPR/public radio) — multiple episodes, 2020–2026, on free-living dogs, crating, and India's rabies-control crisis

• The Bitey End of the Dog (Michael Shikashio) — 2022, 2026

• The Deal with Animals (Marika Bell) — "The Culture of Free Living Dogs," 2022, revisited 2025

• Sarah Fink — Problemhunde Podcast, 2023

• Out of the Woofworks, Episode 15 (hosted by Rachel Forday, @dog_atheart) — "Decolonising Free Living Dogs," 2025

• Just Animals Among Other Animals — "Care, Love, and Attention as Political Acts for Streeties," 2025

• Positively Dog Training — "India's Free-Living Dogs in Crisis," 2026

• APA Human-Animal Interaction Podcast, 2026

• The Dog Expert Podcast, 2026

• Dogs Do Speak (Colin Spence), 2026

Awards & Recognition

• FANIMAL Conference Fellowship, University of Exeter

• Featured in National Geographic's Genius of Dogs bookazine — coverage of the Lives of Streeties project by name

• Mentioned in Canine Confidential by Dr. Marc Bekoff

Public Scholarship & Media

Former columnist, Pet Puja (weekly canine behaviour column), Bangalore Mirror (c. 2013–2017). Research and commentary featured in The Indian Express, The Times of India, The New Indian Express, Dogs Today Magazine, The Economic Times, and other national and international outlets.

Professional Affiliations

• BHARCS is a member organisation of ICAM

• Member, ABS

• BHARCS diploma accredited by Laser Learning Awards, UK; BHARCS is an affiliate of the International School of Canine Psychology (UK)